Short Summary

On the first of his state visit to Ethiopia last Saturday (25 June), President Lepolod Senghor of Senegal received an honorary degree from the University of Haile Selassie the First conferred by Emperor Haile Selassie himself, and was made an honorary citizen of Addis Ababa.

Description

On the first of his state visit to Ethiopia last Saturday (25 June), President Lepolod Senghor of Senegal received an honorary degree from the University of Haile Selassie the First conferred by Emperor Haile Selassie himself, and was made an honorary citizen of Addis Ababa.

The four-day visit of President Senghor, his first state visit to Ethiopia, follows the Organisation of African Unity summit conference, which ended in Addis Ababa last Wednesday. His talks with Emperor Selassie will cover relations between their countries, and matters of African and world interest.

SYNOPSIS: There was a warm welcome in Addis Ababa last Saturday for the President of Senegal, Lepolod Senghor, when he began a four-day state visit to Ethiopia.

In the morning the Lord Mayor made President Senghor an honorary citizen of Addis Ababa, and in a traditional ceremony presented him with the keys of the city.

Outside the City Hall, where the ceremony took place, the crowd danced in national costumes in honour of the Senegalese President, who was described by the Lord Mayor during the ceremony as poet of great intellectual depth, as well as one of the most distinguished leaders of Africa. Then, President Senghor drove to the University of Haile Selassie the First, where he was given an honorary degree. President Senghor had been in Addis Ababa for the summit conference of the Organisation of African Unity, and remained for a state visit....his first to Ethiopia since coming to office.

Dr. Akalu Michael, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, introduced the President, and the Emperor Haile Selassie made the award. In his speech, the Ethiopian Emperor praised President Senghor as a "great author, world famous poet, distinguished scholar, a true son of Africa, eminent leader, founder of the new Senegal." And he said that the award was conferred also as a demonstration of the continued friendship between Senegal and Ethiopia. And later, President Senghor accepted the award with a speech lasting an hour on Negritude -- African culture.

On Saturday evening, at the end of a very full day, President Senghor and his wife were the guests of Emperor Haile Selassie at the Jubilee Palace.

After the state banquet the two leaders began a round of talks on strengthening relations between their countries, and on issues of African and international interest.